Dispenser cap having a sliding closure



March 23, 1965 w. L. SPEICHER DISPENSER CAP HAVING A SLIDING CLOSUREFiled Feb. 5, 1963 F/af INVENTOR Wamc: A. SPAS/CHER ATTORNEY UnitedStates Patent 3,174,661 DISPENSER CAP HAVING A SLIDING CLOSURE Wallace1.. Speicher, North Kansas City, Mo., assignor to Lakeland Packaging,Inc, St. Paul, Minn, a corporation of Minnesota Filed Feb. 5, 1963, Ser.No. 256,44? 6 Claims. (Cl. 222545) This invention relates to animprovement in dispenser caps for receptacles and deals particularlywith a cap which may be normally closed and which may be opened topermit the dispensing of viscous liquids, powdered solids, and the like.

Many caps have been produced for use on receptacles and designed for thedispensing of various materials including viscous liquids such as glue.One of the biggest disadvantages of most such caps lies in the fact thatthey are not self-cleaning, and if self-cleaning, they are expensive toproduce. Caps have been produced including plungers, which in oneposition, close the outlet of the cap, and in another position open theoutlet. For the most part, however, these caps include a number ofmoving parts, springs, and other such elements which make them difiicultto assemble and costly to produce. It is an object of the presentinvention to provide a dispenser cap which includes merely a cap bodyand a single movable plunger, providing a structure which may beeconomically produced, and readily assembled.

A feature of the present invention resides in the provision of a capincluding a cap body of resilient material such as polyethylene resinincluding an anchoring flange designed for attachment to a receptacle,and a generally conical hollow projection attached at its base to theflange. A plunger is recessed into a side of the projection and includesa plunger end which extends into the projection and extends through theapex of the conical projection in one position thereof. The plunger endmay be retracted during the dispensing operation.

A feature of the present invention resides in the fact that thedispensing cap is formed of a material which is sufficiently resilientto permit a groove to be formed in the exterior surface of the cap toslidably support a plunger which is wider than the entrance to thegroove at the surface of the cap. In other words, the plunger may beinserted by threading an end of the plunger through an aperture at theend of the groove and into the interior of the cap, and then merelypressing the plunger into the groove, the walls defining the groovespreading sufiiciently to permit this insertion. Once the plunger isslidably supported in the groove, it may be readily moved from oneextreme position to the other, the plunger end acting to close theaperture tip in one extreme position and to open it in the other.

These and other objects and novel features of the present invention willbe more clearly and fully set forth in the following specification andclaims.

In the drawings forming a part of the specification:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view of the cap as it would appear mountedupon a receptacle.

FIGURE 2 is a vertical sectional view through the cap, showing thegeneral arrangement of parts therein.

FIGURE 3 is a View similar to FIGURE 2 showing the plunger in open orretracted position.

FIGURE 4 is a bottom plan view of the cap removed from the receptacle.

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view through a portion of the cap, the positionof the section being indicated by the line 55 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view through a portion of the cap, the positionof the section being indicated by the line 66 of FIGURE 2.

3,174,6611 Patented Mar. 23, 1965 FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of theplunger removed from the cap.

The cap A is designed as a closure for a receptacle diagrammaticallyillustrated by the letter B. The receptacle B may be formed of anydesired material, and often comprises a flexible resilient plasticcontainer, the walls of which may be compressed inwardly to assist inthe dispensing of the product. The receptacle B is preferably providedwith an externally threaded neck 10 or other means of retaining the capA in place thereupon.

The cap includes a generally cylindrical flange 11 having externalthreads 12 or other means of attachment with the receptacle B. Theflange 11 may be provided near its lower end with a peripheralreinforcing flange 13 and may be provided at its other end with aninwardly ottset ring portion 14 which connects the flange 11 with agenerally conical projection 15. In actual practice, the cone shapedprojection 15 is tilted so that the base of the cone shaped projectionis not normal to the axis of the cone. In other words, the projection 15is preferably arranged with one side wall 16 substantially parallel withthe axis of the cylindrical flange 11 to simplify the dispensing of theproduct. The apex of the conical projection 15 is preferably aperturedas indicated at 17, the aperture illustrated being cylindrical. In otherforms of construction, the aperture 17 may be otherwise shaped and, asan example, may be rectangular so as to dispense a ribbon of product.

The inwardly offset portion 14 provides a shoulder 19 at the end of theinternally threaded flange 11 to seal against the top of the receptacle.Thus the conically shaped projection actually forms a continuation ofthe passage through the interior of the neck of the receptacle.

A rounded rib forming a tubular wall 20 is formed in the wall 21 of theconical projection 15 opposite the generally vertical side 16 thereof.This rounded wall 20 has a closed lower end 22 and an apertured upperend 23. In the particular arrangement illustrated, a groove 24 isprovided in the wall 20 having its inner surface 25 on a cylindricalplane, the surface extending somewhat more than one hundred eightydegrees in section as indicated in FIGURE 5. A plunger 26 is slidablysupported in the groove 24 and the plunger is somewhat shorter than thegroove so that it may slide from the position shown in FIGURE 2 of thedrawings to the opposite extreme position illustrated in FIGURE 3. Theplunger 26 is provided with a closure pin 27 of somewhat less diameterthan the body of the plunger 26. This closure pin 27 extends through theapertured end 23 of the groove 24, and in the position illustrated inFIGURE 2 this closure pin 27 extends through the aperture 17 to form aclosure therefor. In its other extreme position, as indicated in FIGURE3, the aperture 17 is opened to permit the dispensing of the rece taclecontents. While the closure pin 27 has been described as circular incross section, obviously it may be otherwise shaped, and if the closurepin is rectangular in cross section, and the aperture 17 is similarlyshaped to snugly accommodate the plunger, a ribbon of product may bedispensed in place of a cylindrical bead.

As indicated in the drawings, an ear or thumb piece 29 is attached tothe exposed surface of the plunger 26 to extend in a direction generallynormal to the axis of the plunger. The ear or thumb piece 29 ispreferably provided with a forward surface 30 arranged on substantiallya plane normal to the axis of the plunger, while the opposite surface 31of the ear is inclined rearwardly so that the ear is considerablythickest at its area of connection with the plunger than at its outerextremity. In actual practice, this particular construction isadvantageous over an ear which has opposite parallel surfaces. In thefirst place, the tapered construction materially strengths the ear.Furthermore, the inclined rear surface 31 creates a tendency for theoperator to press the plunger inwardly toward the base of the groove asthe plunger is moved from the position shown in FIG- URE 3 toward theposition shown in FIGURE 2. As a result, the plunger is forced towardthe base of the groove, eliminating any tendency for the plunger tobecome disengaged from the groove. Obviously, it is possible to removethe plunger from the groove as well as toinsert it into the groove, andthe inclined rear face 31 greatly reduces this tendency. Whileretracting the plunger, there is a normal tendency to hold the plungeragainst the base of the groove due tothe fact that the plunger is beingpulled rearwardly rather than pushed forwardly.

The cap is molded in two separate pieces, and the plunger 26 with itsclosure pin 27 is somewhat longer in length than the groove 24. However,the plunger as well as the body of the cap is formed of resilientplastic, and as a result, the closure pin 27 of the plunger may be bowedsufficiently to extend through the apertured groove end 23. This can beaccomplished while the plunger 26 is out of the groove 24. When theclosure pin 27 of the plunger has been inserted, the plunger body may bepressed into the groove 24, the walls of the grooves spreading apartsufficiently to permit the plunger to snap into place. Once in place,the plunger may be moved between its opposite extreme positions byengaging the ear 29 between the thumb and finger.

In accordance with the patent statutes, the principles of constructionand operation of this improvement in dispenser caps have been described,and while an endeavor has been made to set forth the best embodimentthereof, it should be understood that changes may be made Within thescope of the following claims without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

I claim:

1. A dispenser cap for use in closing a receptacle including:

a generally cylindrical flange,

means on said flange for connecting the flange to a receptacle,

a generally conical hollow projection having its base substantiallyconcentric with said flange, and having an apertured apex,

a tubular wall extending from the inner surface ofsaid conicalprojection and elongated in a direction toward said apex,

said tubular wall having a closed end and an apertured end in line withthe apertured apex and spaced therefrom,

a groove in the outer surface of said conical projection communicatingwith the interior of said tubular wall,

a plunger slidable in said tubular wall and having a closure pinthereupon extending through said apertured end thereof and extendablethrough and retractable from the apertured apex of said conicalprojection,

a thumb piece on said plunger extending through said groove,

said groove being narrower than said plunger, and

said hollow projection being of a material sufliciently resilient topermit the plunger to be forced through said groove.

2. The structure described in claim 1 and in which the tubular wallincludes an outer surface which is arcuate in cross section.

3. The structure described in claim 1 and in which the plunger is ofgreater cross-sectional area than said closure pin.

-4. The structure of claim 1 and in which internal threads comprisethe'means for connecting said flange to a receptacle.

5. The structure of claim 1 and in which the length of said plungercombined with the length of the closure pin exceeds the length of thegroove.

6. A dispenser cap for use in closing a receptacle including: v

a generally cylindrical flange,

means on said flange for connecting the flange to a receptacle,

a generally conical hollow projection having its base substantiallyconcentric with said flange, and having an apertured apex,

said conical projection comprising substantially a right cone with oneside substantially perpendicular with respect to the base and theopposite side angled,

a tubular wall extending from the inner surface of said opposite sideand elongated in a direction toward said apex,

said tubular wall having a closed end and an apertured end in line withthe apertured apex and spaced therefrom,

a groove in the outer surface of said conical projection communicatingwith the interior of said tubular wall,

a plunger slidable in said tubular wall and having a closure pinthereupon extending through said apertured end thereof and extendablethrough and retractable from the apertured apex of said conicalprojection,

a thumb piece on said plunger extending through said groove,

said groove being narrower than said plunger, and

said hollow projection being of a material sufliciently resilient topermit the plunger to be forced through said groove.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,116,613 11/14Nyborg 222509 X 2,141,572 12/38 Tucker 22256l X 2,971,680 2/61 Wilson etal. 22256l X RAPHAEL M. LUPO, Primary Examiner.

LOUIS J. DEMBO, Examiner.

1. A DISPENSER CAP FOR USE IN CLOSING A RECEPTACLE INCLUDING: AGENERALLY CYLINDRICAL FLANGE, MEANS ON SAID FLANGE FOR CONNECTING THEFLANGE TO A RECEPTACLE, A GENERALLY CONICAL HOLLOW PROJECTION HAVING ITSBASE SUBSTANTIALLY CONCENTRIC WITH SAID FLANGE, AND HAVING AN APERTUREDAPEX, A TUBULAR WALL EXTENDING FROM THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID CONICALPROJECTION AND ELONGATED IN A DIRECTION TOWARD SAID APEX, SAID TUBULARWALL HAVING A CLOSED END AND AN APERTURED END IN LINE WITH THE APERTUREDAPEX AND SPACED THEREFROM, A GROOVE IN THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID CONICALPROJECTION COMMUNICATING WITH THE INTERIOR OF SAID TUBULAR WALL, APLUNGER SLIDABLE IN SAID TUBULAR WALL AND HAVING A CLOSURE PIN THEREUPONEXTENDING THROUGH SAID APERTURED END THEREOF AND EXTENDABLE THROUGH ANDRETRACTABLE FROM THE APERTURED APEX OF SAID CONICAL PROJECTION, A THUMBPIECE ON SAID PLUNGER EXTENDING THROUGH SAID GROOVE, SAID GROOVE BEINGNARROWER THAN SAID PLUNGER, AND SAID HOLLOW PROJECTION BEING OF AMATERIAL SUFFICIENTLY RESILIENT TO PERMIT THE PLUNGER TO BE FORCEDTHROUGH SAID GROOVE.